While some proponents of homework believe in its purpose, a question still persists about the role of homework in determining the student’s grade. Should homework be assigned and graded on a regular basis, or should it be viewed as an educational means to an end? As a means to an end, should one centralized school or district policy govern homework, or should some flexibility exist?
Education consultant Ken O’Connor (1999) suggests eight guidelines for successful assessment, which includes a directive to not mark every single assignment for grades, but rather take a sampling of student efforts in order to assess how much they have learned. His approach pushes for a more standards based approach in determining grades, combining formative assessment to track students’ grasp of lesson concepts as they learn, enabling adjustment of teaching practice on-the-fly, and summative assessment in the form of a test or quiz, which measures the level of student knowledge and understanding after the learning process. This is also a valuable tool for the teacher, as they may be better able to gauge the efficacy of their lessons and unit.In a study conducted by Hill, Spencer, Alston and Fitzgerald (1986), homework was positively linked to student achievement. They indicate that homework is an inexpensive method of improving student academic preparation without increasing staff or modifying curriculum. “So, as the pressure to improve test scores continues to increase, so does the emphasis on homework” (p. 58). 142 school systems in North Carolina were contacted.
Of the initial 142 schools, 96 responded, and were sent three-part questionnaires seeking information about the existence, scope, development and evaluation of homework policies in their schools. The researchers cite several general conclusions based on their findings, including the importance, and apparent lack, of homework policies in existence. Despite the pervasive nature of homework in every participating school, only 50% of the schools indicated the existence of a written homework policy.
Amongst the policies reported by the other half of the participating schools, most of the policies specified the type or quality of homework to be assigned, and allowed some flexibility in the assignment and evaluation of homework. The authors indicated:
. (Hill, Spencer, et. al, 1986, p. 68)
Homework is seen as a valuable resource for teaching, allowing students to practice, and in doing so, learn the unit material. This study documented the importance of flexibility in the assignment and evaluation of quality homework assignments, but also the alarming lack of a written homework policy in 50% of the participating schools.
It can be drawn from this study that some type of homework policy is necessary, as is the assignment of higher cognitive types of homework and the flexible assessment and grading of that work in order to foster and track student learning.
Cauley and McMillan (2009) define formative assessment as, “A process through which assessment-elicited evidence of student learning is gathered and instruction is modified in response to feedback” (p. 1). The authors suggest the use of feedback in the process, but suggest a steering away from performance-goal oriented extrinsic motivators such as grades. Emphasis on performance and grades during the formative process can be detrimental to eventual student achievement because it might shift student focus away from their goal of mastery of course material to concern over the way their abilities might be judged by their peers (Cauley & McMillan, 2009, p. 3).
Constructive feedback throughout this process maintains the focus on mastery goals created at the outset, and provides the student with the support necessary to make connections between new learning and prior knowledge. Homework, ongoing formative assessment, and feedback are all considered to be part of the instruction process. Grading and recording the work completed throughout this time would not accurately create a record of the student’s level of understanding and knowledge because they are still in the process of learning the material.
McMillan, Myran and Workman (2002) conducted a study of over 900 teachers in order to investigate the assessment and grading practices in practice. The authors used surveys returned by a sample of 901 participating teachers of grades 3-5, representing a total population of 1,561 teachers of those grade levels from 124 schools near Richmond, Virginia.
The surveys featured a 6-point scale for participants to rate the emphasis they placed on different assessment and grading practices, with 1 being and 6 representing The findings revealed relatively low emphasis on homework grades, but also a positive correlation between the importance of homework and increasing grade levels. The authors state that:
. (McMillan, Myran, & Workman, 2002, p. 209)
This study documents the importance of homework in the construction of knowledge, but also identifies the fact that there was little emphasis placed on the grades for that work. The majority of the assessment for the students was derived from test and quiz scores, or other forms of summative assessment.
O’Connor (1999) begins his list of eight guidelines for successful assessment with the indication that the only acceptable basis for student grades is their own individual achievement. He goes on to specify that grades recorded must measure the student’s achievement of the learning goals established at the outset of the unit. This suggestion is aligned with the information provided by Cauley and McMillan (2009), which emphasizes the importance of setting mastery goals prior to the instruction process.
They also convey the idea that feedback, and not grades, should be used during the learning process, as formative assessment takes place. The true measurement of what the student has learned comes at the end of that learning process, in the form of a summative assessment, which McTighe and O’Connor (2005) suggest also be used at the outset of the unit to establish realistic performance goals:
. (McTighe and O’Connor, 2005, p. 2)
Waiting until the end of a unit, however, to measure student learning is a mistake, since the time for instruction and learning of that material has ended. It is in the course of the instruction and learning process that McTighe and O’Connor also place importance on the formative assessment process.
Homework is a form of formative assessment, along with draft work, ungraded quizzes and other exercises used with the intent of guiding and instructing the student to promote higher-level cognitive connections. Placing little or no emphasis on grades on those types of exercises and activities allows for focus on the mastery goal, and keeps feedback constructive. “Although teachers may record the results of formative assessments, we shouldn’t factor these results into summative evaluation and grading” (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005, p. 1).
This philosophy could be seen in the low levels of emphasis placed on homework grades in the study by McMillan, Myran, and Workman. Effort, ability, and improvement remained important factors in that study, and McTighe and O’Connor echo that idea in their discussion of replacing old student achievements with new ones. They take into consideration, the varying learning curves of different students, and their progress toward goals set at the beginning of the unit. A student will likely have a greater mastery over the unit material at the end of instruction, than at the outset of instruction.
That point, at the end of instruction is the appropriate time to measure what the student has learned, allowing improvements to replace previous difficulties or failures. McTighe and O’Conner (2005) note, “Allowing new evidence to replace old conveys an important message to students – that teachers care about their successful learning, not merely their grades” (p. 6).
The material reviewed has established the importance of the existence of a flexible, written homework policy on a school or district level. Mr. O’Connor presents a total package, in this respect, to schools and districts that are seeking to establish a policy, or re-evaluate their current one. Following my research and analysis of the relationships between the literature, and Mr. O’Connor’s work, questions still remains unanswered, possibly to be addressed in further study: Will students be motivated to complete homework and/or classroom activities that they know will not be graded?
If there were a problem with student motivation in this respect, what would the impact be on achievement in a setting where the same, or similar type of policy is in place? If a teacher wishes to use homework for the purposes of ungraded formative assessment, they must be certain that the work is truly that of the learner him or herself, with no outside assistance coming from family members or tutors they might see outside of school. This is a major problem related to the use of homework in this way, as homework results may not truly be indicative of the student’s acquired knowledge.
Cauley, K., McMillan, J. (2009). Formative assessment techniques to support student motivation and achievement. Retrieved from Professional Development Collection.
Good, T., Brophy, J. (2003). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Hill, S., Spencer, S., Alston, R., Fitzgerald, J. (1986). Homework policies in the schools. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McMillan, J., Myran, S., Workman, D. (2002). Elementary teachers' classroom assessment and grading practices. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McTighe, J., O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning.
O'Connor, K. (1999). Arlington Heights: .
Retrieved from Professional Development Collection.Good, T., Brophy, J. (2003). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Hill, S., Spencer, S., Alston, R., Fitzgerald, J. (1986). Homework policies in the schools. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McMillan, J., Myran, S., Workman, D. (2002). Elementary teachers' classroom assessment and grading practices. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McTighe, J., O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning.
O'Connor, K. (1999). Arlington Heights: .
Carbone II, S. A. (2009). "The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom?" , (12). Retrieved from
Carbone II, Steven A. "The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom?" 1.12 (2009). < >
Carbone II, Steven A. 2009. The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom? 1 (12),
CARBONE II, S. A. 2009. The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom? [Online], 1. Available:
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America’s devotion to the practice stems in part from the fact that it’s what today’s parents and teachers grew up with themselves.
America has long had a fickle relationship with homework. A century or so ago, progressive reformers argued that it made kids unduly stressed , which later led in some cases to district-level bans on it for all grades under seventh. This anti-homework sentiment faded, though, amid mid-century fears that the U.S. was falling behind the Soviet Union (which led to more homework), only to resurface in the 1960s and ’70s, when a more open culture came to see homework as stifling play and creativity (which led to less). But this didn’t last either: In the ’80s, government researchers blamed America’s schools for its economic troubles and recommended ramping homework up once more.
The 21st century has so far been a homework-heavy era, with American teenagers now averaging about twice as much time spent on homework each day as their predecessors did in the 1990s . Even little kids are asked to bring school home with them. A 2015 study , for instance, found that kindergarteners, who researchers tend to agree shouldn’t have any take-home work, were spending about 25 minutes a night on it.
But not without pushback. As many children, not to mention their parents and teachers, are drained by their daily workload, some schools and districts are rethinking how homework should work—and some teachers are doing away with it entirely. They’re reviewing the research on homework (which, it should be noted, is contested) and concluding that it’s time to revisit the subject.
Read: My daughter’s homework is killing me
Hillsborough, California, an affluent suburb of San Francisco, is one district that has changed its ways. The district, which includes three elementary schools and a middle school, worked with teachers and convened panels of parents in order to come up with a homework policy that would allow students more unscheduled time to spend with their families or to play. In August 2017, it rolled out an updated policy, which emphasized that homework should be “meaningful” and banned due dates that fell on the day after a weekend or a break.
“The first year was a bit bumpy,” says Louann Carlomagno, the district’s superintendent. She says the adjustment was at times hard for the teachers, some of whom had been doing their job in a similar fashion for a quarter of a century. Parents’ expectations were also an issue. Carlomagno says they took some time to “realize that it was okay not to have an hour of homework for a second grader—that was new.”
Most of the way through year two, though, the policy appears to be working more smoothly. “The students do seem to be less stressed based on conversations I’ve had with parents,” Carlomagno says. It also helps that the students performed just as well on the state standardized test last year as they have in the past.
Earlier this year, the district of Somerville, Massachusetts, also rewrote its homework policy, reducing the amount of homework its elementary and middle schoolers may receive. In grades six through eight, for example, homework is capped at an hour a night and can only be assigned two to three nights a week.
Jack Schneider, an education professor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell whose daughter attends school in Somerville, is generally pleased with the new policy. But, he says, it’s part of a bigger, worrisome pattern. “The origin for this was general parental dissatisfaction, which not surprisingly was coming from a particular demographic,” Schneider says. “Middle-class white parents tend to be more vocal about concerns about homework … They feel entitled enough to voice their opinions.”
Schneider is all for revisiting taken-for-granted practices like homework, but thinks districts need to take care to be inclusive in that process. “I hear approximately zero middle-class white parents talking about how homework done best in grades K through two actually strengthens the connection between home and school for young people and their families,” he says. Because many of these parents already feel connected to their school community, this benefit of homework can seem redundant. “They don’t need it,” Schneider says, “so they’re not advocating for it.”
That doesn’t mean, necessarily, that homework is more vital in low-income districts. In fact, there are different, but just as compelling, reasons it can be burdensome in these communities as well. Allison Wienhold, who teaches high-school Spanish in the small town of Dunkerton, Iowa, has phased out homework assignments over the past three years. Her thinking: Some of her students, she says, have little time for homework because they’re working 30 hours a week or responsible for looking after younger siblings.
As educators reduce or eliminate the homework they assign, it’s worth asking what amount and what kind of homework is best for students. It turns out that there’s some disagreement about this among researchers, who tend to fall in one of two camps.
In the first camp is Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Cooper conducted a review of the existing research on homework in the mid-2000s , and found that, up to a point, the amount of homework students reported doing correlates with their performance on in-class tests. This correlation, the review found, was stronger for older students than for younger ones.
This conclusion is generally accepted among educators, in part because it’s compatible with “the 10-minute rule,” a rule of thumb popular among teachers suggesting that the proper amount of homework is approximately 10 minutes per night, per grade level—that is, 10 minutes a night for first graders, 20 minutes a night for second graders, and so on, up to two hours a night for high schoolers.
In Cooper’s eyes, homework isn’t overly burdensome for the typical American kid. He points to a 2014 Brookings Institution report that found “little evidence that the homework load has increased for the average student”; onerous amounts of homework, it determined, are indeed out there, but relatively rare. Moreover, the report noted that most parents think their children get the right amount of homework, and that parents who are worried about under-assigning outnumber those who are worried about over-assigning. Cooper says that those latter worries tend to come from a small number of communities with “concerns about being competitive for the most selective colleges and universities.”
According to Alfie Kohn, squarely in camp two, most of the conclusions listed in the previous three paragraphs are questionable. Kohn, the author of The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing , considers homework to be a “reliable extinguisher of curiosity,” and has several complaints with the evidence that Cooper and others cite in favor of it. Kohn notes, among other things, that Cooper’s 2006 meta-analysis doesn’t establish causation, and that its central correlation is based on children’s (potentially unreliable) self-reporting of how much time they spend doing homework. (Kohn’s prolific writing on the subject alleges numerous other methodological faults.)
In fact, other correlations make a compelling case that homework doesn’t help. Some countries whose students regularly outperform American kids on standardized tests, such as Japan and Denmark, send their kids home with less schoolwork , while students from some countries with higher homework loads than the U.S., such as Thailand and Greece, fare worse on tests. (Of course, international comparisons can be fraught because so many factors, in education systems and in societies at large, might shape students’ success.)
Kohn also takes issue with the way achievement is commonly assessed. “If all you want is to cram kids’ heads with facts for tomorrow’s tests that they’re going to forget by next week, yeah, if you give them more time and make them do the cramming at night, that could raise the scores,” he says. “But if you’re interested in kids who know how to think or enjoy learning, then homework isn’t merely ineffective, but counterproductive.”
His concern is, in a way, a philosophical one. “The practice of homework assumes that only academic growth matters, to the point that having kids work on that most of the school day isn’t enough,” Kohn says. What about homework’s effect on quality time spent with family? On long-term information retention? On critical-thinking skills? On social development? On success later in life? On happiness? The research is quiet on these questions.
Another problem is that research tends to focus on homework’s quantity rather than its quality, because the former is much easier to measure than the latter. While experts generally agree that the substance of an assignment matters greatly (and that a lot of homework is uninspiring busywork), there isn’t a catchall rule for what’s best—the answer is often specific to a certain curriculum or even an individual student.
Given that homework’s benefits are so narrowly defined (and even then, contested), it’s a bit surprising that assigning so much of it is often a classroom default, and that more isn’t done to make the homework that is assigned more enriching. A number of things are preserving this state of affairs—things that have little to do with whether homework helps students learn.
Jack Schneider, the Massachusetts parent and professor, thinks it’s important to consider the generational inertia of the practice. “The vast majority of parents of public-school students themselves are graduates of the public education system,” he says. “Therefore, their views of what is legitimate have been shaped already by the system that they would ostensibly be critiquing.” In other words, many parents’ own history with homework might lead them to expect the same for their children, and anything less is often taken as an indicator that a school or a teacher isn’t rigorous enough. (This dovetails with—and complicates—the finding that most parents think their children have the right amount of homework.)
Barbara Stengel, an education professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, brought up two developments in the educational system that might be keeping homework rote and unexciting. The first is the importance placed in the past few decades on standardized testing, which looms over many public-school classroom decisions and frequently discourages teachers from trying out more creative homework assignments. “They could do it, but they’re afraid to do it, because they’re getting pressure every day about test scores,” Stengel says.
Second, she notes that the profession of teaching, with its relatively low wages and lack of autonomy, struggles to attract and support some of the people who might reimagine homework, as well as other aspects of education. “Part of why we get less interesting homework is because some of the people who would really have pushed the limits of that are no longer in teaching,” she says.
“In general, we have no imagination when it comes to homework,” Stengel says. She wishes teachers had the time and resources to remake homework into something that actually engages students. “If we had kids reading—anything, the sports page, anything that they’re able to read—that’s the best single thing. If we had kids going to the zoo, if we had kids going to parks after school, if we had them doing all of those things, their test scores would improve. But they’re not. They’re going home and doing homework that is not expanding what they think about.”
“Exploratory” is one word Mike Simpson used when describing the types of homework he’d like his students to undertake. Simpson is the head of the Stone Independent School, a tiny private high school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that opened in 2017. “We were lucky to start a school a year and a half ago,” Simpson says, “so it’s been easy to say we aren’t going to assign worksheets, we aren’t going assign regurgitative problem sets.” For instance, a half-dozen students recently built a 25-foot trebuchet on campus.
Simpson says he thinks it’s a shame that the things students have to do at home are often the least fulfilling parts of schooling: “When our students can’t make the connection between the work they’re doing at 11 o’clock at night on a Tuesday to the way they want their lives to be, I think we begin to lose the plot.”
When I talked with other teachers who did homework makeovers in their classrooms, I heard few regrets. Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher in Joshua, Texas, stopped assigning take-home packets of worksheets three years ago, and instead started asking her students to do 20 minutes of pleasure reading a night. She says she’s pleased with the results, but she’s noticed something funny. “Some kids,” she says, “really do like homework.” She’s started putting out a bucket of it for students to draw from voluntarily—whether because they want an additional challenge or something to pass the time at home.
Chris Bronke, a high-school English teacher in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, told me something similar. This school year, he eliminated homework for his class of freshmen, and now mostly lets students study on their own or in small groups during class time. It’s usually up to them what they work on each day, and Bronke has been impressed by how they’ve managed their time.
In fact, some of them willingly spend time on assignments at home, whether because they’re particularly engaged, because they prefer to do some deeper thinking outside school, or because they needed to spend time in class that day preparing for, say, a biology test the following period. “They’re making meaningful decisions about their time that I don’t think education really ever gives students the experience, nor the practice, of doing,” Bronke said.
The typical prescription offered by those overwhelmed with homework is to assign less of it—to subtract. But perhaps a more useful approach, for many classrooms, would be to create homework only when teachers and students believe it’s actually needed to further the learning that takes place in class—to start with nothing, and add as necessary.
This fall, the start of the new school year seemingly brought with it a trend of teachers forgoing homework assignments in order to allow their students more time outside of school for family and play. A number of these announcements took off on social media, with many parents supporting the stance and wishing that their own child's teacher would follow suit. While few would dispute the importance of family and play time for young children, it may be shortsighted to believe that eliminating homework altogether is the answer.
"All children should be doing homework," says Duke University Professor Harris M. Cooper , who has researched and wrote on the topic for over 25 years. While Cooper acknowledges that an excess of homework is both unnecessary and potentially detrimental, the upside of homework is too great to ignore. Not only is it important in reinforcing skills learned during the school day, it also teaches time management, study skills, and independent learning, as well as keeps parents connected to their children's learning.
"Really good homework assignments" in subjects such as math and science, says Cooper, also highlight skills children use in other areas of their life — in sports, games, and everyday tasks like grocery shopping with their parents. "A really good teacher is one that takes the skills that [their students] are learning in the abstract — or more abstract — in their classroom, and uses homework to show them these are the skills they need to enjoy things they do even more," says Cooper.
In this edition of the Harvard EdCast, Cooper evaluates the dissatisfaction with homework practices and discusses all of the reasons why, for children, homework is essential.
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How much homework is too much homework, when does homework actually help, negative effects of homework for students, how teachers can help.
Schools are getting rid of homework from Essex, Mass., to Los Angeles, Calif. Although the no-homework trend may sound alarming, especially to parents dreaming of their child’s acceptance to Harvard, Stanford or Yale, there is mounting evidence that eliminating homework in grade school may actually have great benefits , especially with regard to educational equity.
In fact, while the push to eliminate homework may come as a surprise to many adults, the debate is not new . Parents and educators have been talking about this subject for the last century, so that the educational pendulum continues to swing back and forth between the need for homework and the need to eliminate homework.
One of the most pressing talking points around homework is how it disproportionately affects students from less affluent families. The American Psychological Association (APA) explained:
“Kids from wealthier homes are more likely to have resources such as computers, internet connections, dedicated areas to do schoolwork and parents who tend to be more educated and more available to help them with tricky assignments. Kids from disadvantaged homes are more likely to work at afterschool jobs, or to be home without supervision in the evenings while their parents work multiple jobs.”
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While students growing up in more affluent areas are likely playing sports, participating in other recreational activities after school, or receiving additional tutoring, children in disadvantaged areas are more likely headed to work after school, taking care of siblings while their parents work or dealing with an unstable home life. Adding homework into the mix is one more thing to deal with — and if the student is struggling, the task of completing homework can be too much to consider at the end of an already long school day.
While all students may groan at the mention of homework, it may be more than just a nuisance for poor and disadvantaged children, instead becoming another burden to carry and contend with.
Beyond the logistical issues, homework can negatively impact physical health and stress — and once again this may be a more significant problem among economically disadvantaged youth who typically already have a higher stress level than peers from more financially stable families .
Yet, today, it is not just the disadvantaged who suffer from the stressors that homework inflicts. A 2014 CNN article, “Is Homework Making Your Child Sick?” , covered the issue of extreme pressure placed on children of the affluent. The article looked at the results of a study surveying more than 4,300 students from 10 high-performing public and private high schools in upper-middle-class California communities.
“Their findings were troubling: Research showed that excessive homework is associated with high stress levels, physical health problems and lack of balance in children’s lives; 56% of the students in the study cited homework as a primary stressor in their lives,” according to the CNN story. “That children growing up in poverty are at-risk for a number of ailments is both intuitive and well-supported by research. More difficult to believe is the growing consensus that children on the other end of the spectrum, children raised in affluence, may also be at risk.”
When it comes to health and stress it is clear that excessive homework, for children at both ends of the spectrum, can be damaging. Which begs the question, how much homework is too much?
The National Education Association and the National Parent Teacher Association recommend that students spend 10 minutes per grade level per night on homework . That means that first graders should spend 10 minutes on homework, second graders 20 minutes and so on. But a study published by The American Journal of Family Therapy found that students are getting much more than that.
While 10 minutes per day doesn’t sound like much, that quickly adds up to an hour per night by sixth grade. The National Center for Education Statistics found that high school students get an average of 6.8 hours of homework per week, a figure that is much too high according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is also to be noted that this figure does not take into consideration the needs of underprivileged student populations.
In a study conducted by the OECD it was found that “after around four hours of homework per week, the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on performance .” That means that by asking our children to put in an hour or more per day of dedicated homework time, we are not only not helping them, but — according to the aforementioned studies — we are hurting them, both physically and emotionally.
What’s more is that homework is, as the name implies, to be completed at home, after a full day of learning that is typically six to seven hours long with breaks and lunch included. However, a study by the APA on how people develop expertise found that elite musicians, scientists and athletes do their most productive work for about only four hours per day. Similarly, companies like Tower Paddle Boards are experimenting with a five-hour workday, under the assumption that people are not able to be truly productive for much longer than that. CEO Stephan Aarstol told CNBC that he believes most Americans only get about two to three hours of work done in an eight-hour day.
In the scope of world history, homework is a fairly new construct in the U.S. Students of all ages have been receiving work to complete at home for centuries, but it was educational reformer Horace Mann who first brought the concept to America from Prussia.
Since then, homework’s popularity has ebbed and flowed in the court of public opinion. In the 1930s, it was considered child labor (as, ironically, it compromised children’s ability to do chores at home). Then, in the 1950s, implementing mandatory homework was hailed as a way to ensure America’s youth were always one step ahead of Soviet children during the Cold War. Homework was formally mandated as a tool for boosting educational quality in 1986 by the U.S. Department of Education, and has remained in common practice ever since.
School work assigned and completed outside of school hours is not without its benefits. Numerous studies have shown that regular homework has a hand in improving student performance and connecting students to their learning. When reviewing these studies, take them with a grain of salt; there are strong arguments for both sides, and only you will know which solution is best for your students or school.
Homework improves student achievement.
Homework helps reinforce classroom learning.
Homework helps students develop good study habits and life skills.
Homework allows parents to be involved with their children’s learning.
While some amount of homework may help students connect to their learning and enhance their in-class performance, too much homework can have damaging effects.
Students with too much homework have elevated stress levels.
Students with too much homework may be tempted to cheat.
Homework highlights digital inequity.
Homework does not help younger students.
To help students find the right balance and succeed, teachers and educators must start the homework conversation, both internally at their school and with parents. But in order to successfully advocate on behalf of students, teachers must be well educated on the subject, fully understanding the research and the outcomes that can be achieved by eliminating or reducing the homework burden. There is a plethora of research and writing on the subject for those interested in self-study.
For teachers looking for a more in-depth approach or for educators with a keen interest in educational equity, formal education may be the best route. If this latter option sounds appealing, there are now many reputable schools offering online master of education degree programs to help educators balance the demands of work and family life while furthering their education in the quest to help others.
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Why is homework important? Homework can be a divisive topic. In this article, we will discuss why it’s important and how it helps with your child’s development.
There is a strong connection between regularly completing homework and higher accomplishments in subjects such as English, Maths and Science. The Department of Education in the United Kingdom advises that spending time doing homework brings several benefits, more so for the students who put in two to three hours a night. Understanding the value of homework can help increase motivation and productivity. In this article, we’ll help you understand why homework is important and discuss all its benefits for both children and parents.
Homework is important because it develops core skills in young children that will serve them throughout school and working life. Improved grades, discipline, time management, using resources and improving communication are all vital life skills that will open the door to unique opportunities and help children find success in their careers. Doing regular homework should be considered as an investment in your child’s future.
Through encouraging regular homework and supporting your child with their assignments, you can expect to see the following advantages:
Repeating a task multiple times can feel arduous, but it’s necessary to help increase your child’s skill and understanding of a subject. Regular homework will make certain concepts easier to understand and put them in an advantageous position should they seek a vocational career.
Homework goes beyond just the task itself; it helps children take control of their workload and increase their time management skills. Homework is set with a deadline and taking ownership of this deadline helps them think independently and develop problem-solving skills. This is a prime example of why homework is important because time management is a vital life skill that helps children throughout higher education and their careers.
Homework acts as a bridge and can help teachers and parents learn more about how students like to learn, providing a deeper understanding of how to approach their learning and development. Many parents also want their child to receive homework so they can understand what they’re learning at school.
Some children struggle to learn outside of their comfort zone, and while classrooms are designed to be warm and welcoming, there is often no place like home. Homework is an opportunity to learn and retain information in an environment where they feel most comfortable, which can help accelerate their development.
Throughout a child’s education, understanding how to use resources such as libraries and the internet is important. Homework teaches children to actively search for information using these resources to complete tasks, and this is a skill that will be fundamental throughout their lives.
Regular homework helps children discover a pattern that will help them when they’re required to study for important tests and exams. Children who are familiar with a routine of completing homework will find it easy to adapt to a schedule of doing regular revision at home. Skills such as accessing learning materials, time management, and discipline will help improve how children revise, and ultimately, improve their grades.
Children learn at different paces, and the time spent in the classroom might not be enough for some students to fully grasp the key concepts of a subject. Having additional time for learning at home can help children gain a deeper understanding than they would if they were solely reliant on their time in school. Homework is important because it gives parents and children the freedom and the time to focus on subjects that they may be struggling with. This extra time can make a big difference when it comes to exams and grades.
We’ve discussed why it is important to do regular homework, but children may still find it difficult to stay motivated. Parents can play an important role in supporting their child with homework, so here are some of the ways you can help.
Having a dedicated space for children to do homework will help them stay focused. Make sure it is well-lit and stocked with everything they’ll need for their assignments.
A regular routine helps children get used to working at home. Some children work best in the morning, while others may prefer the afternoon. Work out a routine where your child is their most productive.
Homework is important, but only if children use this time to learn. If you do the work for them, they’re not going to see any of the benefits we listed above. It’s important you’re there to support and help them understand the work, so they can do it themselves.
Recognising the hard work that they’re putting in and praising them for it is a great way to get children to respond positively to homework. Pin their impressive test grades up in their homeworking space or around the house for extra motivation.
Children can get overwhelmed if they have a lot of work to do. On homework-heavy nights, help them make a plan and break down the work into sections. This will help make the work more manageable. If your child responds well to this, you could do this each time they sit down to do work at home.
Understanding why homework is important and oftentimes necessary helps improve both motivation and productivity in young children. It also makes parents aware of the role they can play in supporting them. At Nord Anglia Education, we focus on bringing children, parents, and teachers together in a common effort to improve student learning through homework. You can learn more about our schools and the curriculum we teach by exploring our schools .
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Howard Pitler is a dynamic facilitator, speaker, and instructional coach with a proven record of success spanning four decades. With an extensive background in professional development, he works with schools and districts internationally and is a regular speaker at national, state, and district conferences and workshops.
Pitler is currently Associate Professor at Emporia State University in Kansas. Prior to that, he served for 19 years as an elementary and middle school principal in an urban setting. During his tenure, his elementary school was selected as an Apple Distinguished Program and named "One of the Top 100 Schools in America" by Redbook Magazine. His middle school was selected as "One of the Top 100 Wired Schools in America" by PC Magazine. He also served for 12 years as a senior director and chief program officer for McREL International, and he is currently serving on the Board of Colorado ASCD. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Apple Teacher, National Distinguished Principal, and Smithsonian Laureate.
He is a published book author and has written numerous magazine articles for Educational Leadership ® magazine, EdCircuit , and Connected Educator , among others.
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Author: Bethany Spencer
Posted: 15 May 2017
Estimated time to read: 10 mins
Homework as a concept has been around for hundreds of years, and today is considered the norm for modern schools. At secondary level, schools set regular homework via a whole-school homework policy. This can take many forms and is sometimes given a different name like 'home learning' or 'Independent study', but the concept of completing work outside of the classroom remains the same.
The setting of homework is regarded highly by many with Epstein & Van Voorhis stating that it not only reflects on the success of the student, but also the success of the school (2001). In spite of this, attitudes towards homework are constantly changing, culminating in the age old homework debate.
Attitudes towards the value and purpose of homework are usually reflective of the current societal stance and general sentiment towards education. For example, in the 20th century the mind was seen as a muscle that would benefit from memorisation, and since this could be done at home, homework was perceived as valuable. However, come the 1940s where emphasis shifted from drills to problem solving, people started to view homework negatively (Cooper, 1989).
Yet, fast forward to 1957, the year Russia launched Sputnik, and society became concerned that students were not ready for the advanced technologies that were creeping into modern life, leading many to start favouring homework again.
Although, reflective of the attitudes in the 1960s, homework fell out of favour with the belief that it put too much pressure on students (Cooper, 1989). This is why we find ourselves encased in a spiral of ever changing attitudes towards homework which looks set to continue.
We believe that homework plays an important role in both a student’s education and the performance of the school. Here we look at academic research, but also take into account the opinion of leading educators who give weight to the stance that homework serves a purpose that penetrates far deeper than improving a student’s general understanding of a subject.
The purpose of homework can be grouped into ten strands as stated by Epstein & Van Voorhis (1988, 2001, p.181) ‘practice, participation, preparation, personal development, parent-child relations, parent-teacher communication, peer interactions, policy, public relations and punishment.’ This suggests that homework affects more areas than just a student’s academic ability.
However, when we look at the research that focuses on the link between homework and academic achievement we see that homework does in fact have a positive impact on students’ grades . Sharp (2002) states there is a direct link between students spending time on homework and their achievement in secondary school.
Cooper similarly found that students who completed homework had better report cards and test results than those who didn't (1989 cited by Epstein & Van Voorhis 2001). In a report conducted by the EEF, they also found that the completion of homework at secondary level can add on an additional 5 months progress onto a child’s learning with minimal cost incurred by the school (EEF, 2016).
In addition to the academic findings, teachers themselves have commented on the purpose they believe homework provides to students and schools. Epstein (1988, 2001, p.181) found that teachers recognised ‘practice, preparation and personal development’ to contribute to the overall purpose of homework.
Homework helps to " develop learners' knowledge and allow them more choice in how they express their work"
Tom Sherrington, a Headteacher at a UK secondary school and influential education blogger, has expressed his personal views on the value of homework: ‘Students who are successful at A Level and at GCSE are those who have highly developed independent learning skills, have the capacity to lead the learning process through their questions and ideas’ (Sherrington 2012a).
This suggests that even those who do not see an immediate impact from homework, believe that it will help students’ personal development but also prepare them for the next stages of education and beyond. This is further supported by Sharp (2002) who recognised that, despite homework not having a direct link to achievement in younger children, it did promote independent learning and prepare them for secondary school.
A second UK teacher and education blogger, Rachel Jones, commented on what she believes to be the purpose of homework and found that it had a positive impact on both retention of knowledge and hand-in rates when the homework set was assigned with the intention to ‘develop learners knowledge and allow them more choice in how they express their work’ (Jones 2013).
In addition to the correlation between completing homework and improved achievement, homework plays a fundamental role in both home-school involvement and students’ relationships with their parents. A key purpose of homework outside of ‘enhancing instruction’ is to ‘establish communication between parent and child’ (Acock & Demo, 1994 cited by Cooper et al, 20016, p.2).
Homework acts as a bridge between school and home, and the ability to engage parents in school life has a positive impact on teachers - when teachers feel as though there is more parental involvement in school they feel more positive about teaching (Epstein & Dauber, 1991, Hoover-Dempsey et al, 1987 cited by Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001).
Acock and Demo (1994, cited by Epstein & Van Voorhis 2001, p.182) have even stated that homework can help to improve relationships between parents and students, bringing them ‘closer together to enjoy learning and exchange ideas’, cementing the idea that homework has greater repercussions than just raising academic achievements within school.
In addition to this, a purpose of homework valued by both parents and teachers is the idea that homework completed regularly by students helps to promote ‘a sense of responsibility’ (Warton 1997, p.213). Moreover, Sherrington (2012b) comments on his stance as both an educator and a parent saying that he firmly believes that homework has a fundamental part to play in the learning process ‘and paving the way to students becoming independent learners’.
Although in order for homework to really show the benefits expressed in this article it must be purposeful . Students have expressed their opinion on the value of homework, deeming it to be an important part of the learning experience (Sharp 2002).
Yet, they do express concerns regarding how homework is set relating to ‘conflicting deadlines, and tasks that make little contribution to learning’ (Sharp 2002, p.3). In order to combat these concerns, schools should be vetting the quality of homework set, and teachers should be communicating with one another in reference to deadlines.
The idea of setting purposeful homework is further supported by Epstein & Van Voorhis (2001, p.19) who report that those who set homework ‘to meet specific purposes and goals, more students complete their homework and benefit from the results’. Additionally, the idea of setting homework with a clear purpose further encourages parental involvement within the child’s education.
"Quality homework types to include ‘fluency practice, application, spiral review and extension"
Purposeful homework is intrinsically linked to quality homework , and when teachers are setting homework the emphasis should be on this as opposed to the quantity. In order for homework to be regarded as high quality, the instruction provided must be clear and detailed (Frey & Fisher, 2011), and the tasks that are being set are ‘authentic and engaging’ (Darling-Hammond & Ifill-Lynch 2006, p.1) providing students with a real reason to complete them.
This is further supported by Dettmers et al (2010) who found that when students identified homework as being well thought out and relevant, they were more motivated to complete it. Frey & Fisher (2011) identified quality homework types to include ‘fluency practice, application, spiral review and extension’ and denounced the value of homework that asks students to complete work that was not covered in class as not valuable as they have no peer or teacher support and are unfamiliar with the topic.
It is also important to consider the implications of focusing on the amount of homework set - setting too much homework can have detrimental effects on students, such as stress, fatigue and loss of interest in studies (Cooper, 2010).
From this we can gather that fewer pieces of well thought out homework will have more of a positive impact on students’ learning. It is important for schools to monitor the amount of homework that is set, what is being set and the frequency so as to avoid over-working students - having a homework policy which teachers adhere to will help to enforce this.
Homework encourages self-development and self-discipline. Students who complete regular homework don't just perform better at school and during exams, they learn broader life skills and associate hard work with long term rewards. Homework has also been found to improve parental relationships.
From this we can conclude that homework does indeed serve a purpose as studies provide a link between homework and higher secondary school attainment. Yet despite a lack of research to suggest these effects in primary school and younger years, homework will help to prepare students younger than 11 for secondary school and encourages them to become independent learners.
The setting and completion of homework also has benefits outside of academic attainment with parent-child relationship and home-school involvement both improving within schools as a result of successful homework practice.
However, it must be taken into consideration that in order to experience the benefits of homework, the work being set should have a clear goal, as well as being worthwhile and purposeful to encourage students to complete it.
References:
Cooper, H., 1989. Synthesis of Research on Homework. Effective Schools Research Abstracts [online], 4 (1), 85-91
Cooper, H., 2010. Homework’s Diminishing Returns. The New York Times [online], 12 December 2010. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/12/stress-and-the-high-school-student/homeworks-diminishing-returns [Accessed 1 July 2016]
Cooper, H. and Robinson, J.C. and Patall, E.A., 2006. Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A synthesis of Research, 1987-2003. Review of Education Research [online], 76 (1), 1-62
Darling-Hammond, L. and Ifill-Lynch, O., 2006. If They’d Only Do Their Work! Educational Leadership [online] 63(5), 8-13, Available from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb06/vol63/num05/If-They%27d-Only-Do-Their-Work!.aspx [Accessed 1 July 2016]
Dettmers, S at al., 2010. Journal of Educational Psychology. Homework works if homework quality is high: Using multilevel modeling to predict development of achievement in mathematics. [online], 102(2), 467-482. Available from: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/102/2/467/ [Accessed 1 July 2016]
EEF, 2016. Teaching and Learning Toolkit [online] London. Available from: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit [Accessed 1 July 2016]
Epstein, L.J. and Van Voorhis, F.L, 2001. More than Minutes: Teachers’ Roles in Designing Homework. Educational Psychologist [online], 36 (3), 181-193
Frey, N. and Fisher, D., 2011. High-Quality Homework [online] USA: Principal Leadership. Available from: http://fisherandfrey.com/uploads/posts/Homework_NASSP.pdf [Accessed 1 July 2016]
GOV.UK, 2015. School Inspection Handbook from 2015 [online]. England: The National Archives. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-from-september-2015 [Accessed May 2016)
Jones, R., 2013. DESTROY Homework. Create Innovate Explore [online] 12 August 2013. Available from: http://createinnovateexplore.com/destroy-homework/ [Accessed May 2016]
Sharp, C., 2002. Should Schools set Homework? National Foundation for Educational Research [online], 27 (1), 1-4
Sherrington, T., 2012. Homework Matters: Great teachers set great homework. Headguruteacher [online]. 2 September 2012. Available from: https://headguruteacher.com/2012/09/02/homework-matters-great-teachers-set-great-homework/ [Accessed May 2016]
Sherrington, T., 2012. Homework: What does the Hattie research actually say? Headguruteacher [online] 21 October 2012. Available from: https://headguruteacher.com/2012/10/21/homework-what-does-the-hattie-research-actually-say/ [Accessed May 2016]
Warton, P.M. 1997. Learning about responsibility: Lessons from homework. British Journal of Educational Psychology [online], 67(2), pp. 213–221
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Homework is an important component of the learning and growing process. It is a common practice for students to develop their skills and learn new information.
Homework is simply a general term that we use to describe work that you have to do at home. Typically, it’s assigned by the teacher during school hours and meant to be completed after school in the evenings or weekends.
Homework is loved and hated by many, but it is an integral part of education. It is not just a boring part of the learning process. It has a lot to offer!
So, why should students have homework? According to research conducted by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper , there was a positive relation between homework and student achievement. He found out that homework can help students perform better in school.
This shows the importance of homework in a student’s life. Homework is not always popular with students because it takes away their free time at home.
However, there are many benefits associated with homework. Homework helps students understand the material in greater depth. Moreover, it allows teachers to assess how much the student has learned.
It is important to have a homework routine. A routine will help you know what to expect at the end of the day, and it will give you time to digest what you learned.
In addition, a routine will help you to be stress-free because you won’t be worrying about when to start your homework or whether you’re going to finish it on time.
So, here are some tips on how to set up a good homework routine:
These tips will surely make your student life easier and put you on the right track towards higher grades!
There are numerous reasons why homework is given in schools and colleges. Students can reap the benefits even in their professional lives.
But what exactly are the benefits of homework and how can it help students? Let us take a look at some of them:
They will learn to balance play and work. Students will also learn to complete assignments within deadlines by learning to prioritize their time.
It helps them understand the importance of time management skills . When they are assigned a project or a test, they will know when it is due, how much time they have to complete it, and what they need to do.
This also helps them in their future careers. Employees must be able to manage their time efficiently in order to be successful.
If a project is due soon, employees should take effective steps to get it done on time. Homeworks in the schooling years teaches this practice of time management.
Students get more time to review the content and this promotes self-learning . This is a big advantage of homework.
It also promotes continuous learning as students can revise their syllabus on their own. Homework gives them an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.
Homeworks help teachers track how well the students are grasping the content . They can modify their teaching methods based on the responses they receive from their students.
Students learn to become independent learners as they do their homework without any help from the teacher.
Studying at home also motivates students to study harder in order to achieve better results. This encourages them to take up more responsibilities at home too.
Homework provides practice time to recall concepts discussed in class, thereby enabling students to memorize facts and figures taught at school.
One of the advantages of homework is that it sharpens memory power and concentration.
Parents can assess how well their children are doing with regard to academic performance by checking their homework assignments.
This gives parents a chance to discuss with teachers about improving their child’s performance at school .
Revising together with other students can also help with understanding information because it gives you another perspective, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and engage with others.
Doing homework has numerous benefits for students. One of them is that it helps students learn the concepts in depth.
Homework teaches them how to apply the concepts to solve a problem. It gives them experience on how to solve problems using different techniques.
When students do their homework, they have to work hard to find all the possible solutions to a problem.
They have to try out different methods until they reach a solution that works. This teaches them perseverance and helps them develop their determination and grit to keep working hard.
Homework is important because it helps students to learn new and advanced skills. It promotes self-study, research and time management skills within students.
It also builds their confidence in tackling problems independently without constant help from teachers and parents.
Homework helps in building curiosity about a subject that excites them. Homework gives students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a subject matter.
When they become curious, they themselves take the initiative to learn more about it.
Homeworks allow students to learn the subject in a more detailed manner. It gives students the chance to recall and go over the content.
This will lead to better understanding and they will be able to remember the information for a long time.
Homework is not only a great way to get students to do their work themselves, but it can also encourage them to reduce screen time.
Homework gives students a good reason to stay off their computers and phones. Homework promotes the productive use of time .
The more they do their homework, the better they will get it. They will learn to manage their time in a more effective way and be able to do their work at a faster rate.
Moreover, they will be able to develop a good work ethic, which will help them in their future careers.
We all know that too much of anything can be bad. Homework is no different. If the workload of the students is too much, then it can lead to unnecessary stress .
Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to be mindful of the workload of students. That way, students will be able to enjoy their free time and actually enjoy doing homework instead of seeing it as a burden.
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reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Created on Jun 25, 2024
Updated on June 25, 2024
One of the reasons why parents decide to homeschool their children is because they want more control over their child’s educational experience. The traditional school system formed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, so it does not cater to many children’s needs anymore, leading more and more parents to look into the benefits of homeschooling. If you seek to customize your children’s school curriculum, provide emotional guidance, and offer individualized attention with the help of online learning, this is your guide to homeschooling learning.
Let’s explore the 10 main advantages of homeschooling for families who decide to opt out of traditional school.
A homeschooling family creates a certain type of flexibility that allows both parents and children to set their own schedules based on their circumstances and lifestyle factors. Imagine being the one to tell when school is in session, how long the lessons are, what field trips to take, when the best time for a vacation is, and when extracurricular activities will take place. First, this flexibility makes it easier for parents to accommodate existing schedules. Secondly, involving the child in planning their day helps them feel more included in decision-making.
A child-parent bond gets stronger through homeschooling. As parents take an active role in their children’s education, they will have a lot of opportunities to create shared experiences and foster closer relationships. Not to mention, the parents are the ones who know their child’s character, needs, and attention span best, which leads to a more positive educational experience. This is considered one of the most important reasons to homeschool.
School can be somewhat of an uncomfortable place for many children, especially for introverts and neurodivergent kids. In that way, homeschooling can provide a more positive and comfortable environment without too many distractions that come along with traditional school. Additionally, children can challenge themselves with new subjects or assignments of increasing complexity due to the fact that they feel more confident in the comfort of their home with an instructor they trust.
Every kid is unique and needs an appropriate learning style that caters to their needs, skills, and potential. One of the pros of being homeschooled is that teaching style, lessons, and homework can be tailored to the needs and abilities of each child. For instance, if your kid is interested in biology, you can have more of those lessons. Or if they have trouble understanding math, you could give them extra time to catch up with a professional tutoring platform like Brighterly.
Let them be at the top of their class.
Obviously, homeschooling saves a lot of time. For example, you don’t need to commute to school, prep lunch, carpool, or attend parent meetings. That gives you and your child more space to discover and pursue other interests. Also, many lessons could be done outdoors, which fosters more exposure to natural environments and reduces stress.
Traditional schools are not places where teachers experiment with their teaching style—especially coming from the fact that they can’t provide a one-on-one approach for those who may need it. With homeschooling, you see what drives your kid the most, which gives you more opportunities for effective learning.
Homeschooling provides more safety in several contexts. To begin, homeschooled kids are less likely to encounter bullying, peer pressure, and other negative social interactions that can happen in traditional school settings. Also, with the increasing incidences of school violence, homeschooling yields a safer environment by removing the child from potential threats present in some schools.
Homeschooling effects include a faster learning pace than in traditional school. Reduced distractions, customized curriculum, and a more focused learning environment enable children to progress more rapidly, leading to achieving academic goals sooner than they might in school settings.
Since all work is homework in homeschooling, there’s no use in leaving some assignments out as homework. By eliminating things like commuting to school and packing lunch, you’ll have more time for actual learning. Not to mention, it reduces stress from having to study all day long.
Creativity is a crucial part of a child’s learning experience. Sadly, schools do not allow much creativity in the classroom. Because of that, homeschooling provides a lot more creative drive in the learning process. With much flexibility, you and your child can combine several learning strategies that work best.
That being said, the pros of homeschooling include a flexible schedule, better relationships, a comfortable learning environment, an appropriate learning style, more time for hobbies, child-led learning, more safety, a faster learning pace, limited homework, and enhanced creativity.
All of these offer a versatile and supportive learning environment that can cater to the needs and wants of every kid. It’s also beneficial for parents, who, with the help of homeschooling, can better bond with their kids and also have more control over their schedule and values.
Here’s how online tutoring platforms like Brighterly can benefit your homeschooled kid :
Brighterly connects you with professional math tutors , ensuring your kids receive the highest-quality personalized tutoring possible.
You can work out your own schedule with Brighterly. This allows you and your child to have one-on-one sessions when it fits best. Additionally, this flexibility is perfect for different learning paces.
Brighterly’s approach to mathematics comes from the understanding that every child is unique, especially in learning. Our tutors are skilled in handling math for children with adaptive methods that meet children’s needs, and make sure that your kid feels all the benefits of being homeschooled.
Meet the best tutors for interactive math learning.
We teach your kids in a way that encourages them to ask ‘Why’ before asking ‘What,’ ensuring they actively participate in each task, fostering a deeper understanding of math. This method has proven to be highly effective and results in better performance for our students.
We thrive on giving as much attention to every kid as we can. The one-on-one approach ensures your child is focused and absorbs most of the material they’re given. That is, our tutors let no detail slip while also engaging your child without interactive tasks.
Homeschooling offers many advantages to children, including a personalized curriculum, flexibility, more focus, less exposure to bullying, and a more balanced life. In any case, homeschooling is a perfect chance for your children to feel more confident, free, and overall happy. But that is not all that homeschooling has to offer. Research has shown that homeschooled children usually pull off more academic success compared to kids who attend traditional school. According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), homeschooled students score higher on tests, outscoring children from public and private schools by 3 to 12.1 points. Additionally, homeschooled kids attend college at similar or higher rates and often are more satisfied with their college experience.
For some, homeschooling can be a better option than a traditional school. Families can choose homeschooling for many reasons. For example, some want to spend more time together as a family, while others want to provide a child with a quality education when the public educational system fails. So, the reasons to homeschool are multilayered and highly personal.
Here are some of the most common benefits families get when they choose to homeschool and why they view it as a better option than a traditional school: They can determine their own schedule
To sum up, homeschooled kids enjoy many benefits that public school students miss out on. From stronger family relationships and self-confidence to a personalized learning experience with loads of flexibility and freedom, homeschooling advantages shine through when the families are asked about it.
Yes, homeschooling is extremely effective. As the researchers have found, homeschooled students are more likely to perform well in college. Research shows that 69% of peer-reviewed studies show that homeschooled students succeed and perform statistically better in adulthood, including higher education, compared to those who attended traditional schools.
Another study published by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) found that a clear advantage of homeschooling is the ability to adapt learning to each child.
In addition, about 15% of parents prefer homeschooling because they don’t think the public education system is of sufficient quality. At home, you can control and adjust the curriculum, choose your tutors, teach, and do everything to ensure your child learns in the best way.
To sum up, homeschooling is an effective form of learning and offers numerous benefits, including a flexible schedule, a comfortable learning environment, stronger family bonds, and enhanced creativity. Researchers also found that homeschooled students often score higher on standardized tests and perform well in higher education.
Homeschooling also reduces anxiety and provides a more personalized educational experience. Making it an effective alternative to traditional schools, homeschooling ensures children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. For many families, these advantages make homeschooling a great choice.
Considering homeschooling your kid? Think of Brighterly as your biggest supporter! We use modern teaching strategies that align perfectly with homeschooling principles. Get a free trial lesson and set your kid up for success.
Jessica is a a seasoned math tutor with over a decade of experience in the field. With a BSc and Master’s degree in Mathematics, she enjoys nurturing math geniuses, regardless of their age, grade, and skills. Apart from tutoring, Jessica blogs at Brighterly. She also has experience in child psychology, homeschooling and curriculum consultation for schools and EdTech websites.
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Harvard University
This morning, U.S. News and World Report released their much-anticipated 2024-2025 Best Global University Rankings. These annual rankings are a cornerstone in the field, influencing decisions that range from student applications to institutional funding and providing a glimpse into the current state of affairs in the world of higher education. This list can provide helpful insights into the relative merits of the schools students may be considering adding to their college lists. In order to use this list effectively, however, it is important to understand the nuances of the ranking system and the factors considered therein.
Here is a breakdown of the rankings’ methodology, as well as key takeaways from this year’s list:
Methodology
The U.S. News and World Report Best Global University Rankings are based on a comprehensive methodology that evaluates colleges and universities across thirteen key metrics. These include:
In addition to the overall global rankings and country-specific rankings, U.S. News and World Report published a subject-specific ranking list , evaluating schools’ global positions in over 50 individual disciplines.
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These rankings offer quantitative data students can consider when building their college lists, providing a fairly comprehensive picture of universities’ academic prowess and institutional reach. That being said, students using the rankings to build their college lists should note that many of these factors do not capture the qualitative aspects of students’ experiences.
Key Takeaways from the 2024–25 Rankings
This year, 2,250 universities across over 100 countries were considered—up more than ten percent from the 2,000 schools considered in the previous ranking.
As in the last cycle, Harvard University claimed the #1 spot in the global rankings list. This prestigious accolade reflects Harvard's unparalleled academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and global influence. Known for its distinguished faculty, cutting-edge facilities, and a tradition of innovation, Harvard continues to set the standard in higher education, making it the leading choice for students and scholars worldwide.
Nearly half of the top 50 schools in the ranking are located in the U.S., totaling 24 of the top 50 on the rankings list. Additionally, four out of the top five are U.S. schools: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. This remarkable achievement underscores the global prestige of U.S. universities, known for their world-class research, innovative academic programs, and extensive resources.
Both Brown University and The University of Texas at Austin surprisingly dropped in the rankings, falling out of the top 50. Given both schools’ excellence, this shift demonstrates the fierce competition for top spots in the rankings this year.
This year, four new disciplines were added to the subject-specific rankings, including: ecology; green and sustainable science and technology; environmental engineering; and marine and freshwater biology. These additions not only demonstrate the ranking system’s commitment to reflecting the most relevant information in higher education today, but also provide a glimpse into recent trends and changes in the disciplinary offerings at the most prestigious universities in the world.
The 2024–2025 U.S. News and World Report Rankings offer students valuable information regarding the trends in the global higher education landscape. While students should take their personal preferences and the intangible elements of a school’s culture that draw them to a specific school into account, these rankings can be a helpful first step for students as they set their collegiate goals and assemble their college lists.
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Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That's problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.
Too much homework may diminish its effectiveness. While research on the optimum amount of time students should spend on homework is limited, there are indications that for high school students, 1½ to 2½ hours per night is optimum. Middle school students appear to benefit from smaller amounts (less than 1 hour per night).
Homework is the perennial bogeyman of K-12 education. In any given year, you'll find people arguing that students, especially in elementary school, should have far less homework—or none at all. Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of Success Academy charter schools, has the opposite opinion. She's been running schools for sixteen years, and she's only become more convinced that ...
The studies reviewed with the highest impacts set homework twice a week in a particular subject. Evidence also suggests that how homework relates to learning during normal school time is important. In the most effective examples homework was an integral part of learning, rather than an add-on.
make academic gains on standardized tests, it is more important than ever that teachers are equipped with the tools necessary to effectively use homework as a learning tool for all students regardless of their ability levels. Key Words: homework, learning, inclusive classrooms, special education, stu-
school age students. RESEARCH SAYS:Homework serves the distinct purpose to "provide students with an opportunity to practice," according to a 25 year quantitat. ve metaanalysis (Cooper, et al 2006). Homework has the highest impact on achievement in high school and the lowest in e.
Abstract. Homework is intended to be a positive experience that encourages children to learn. Teachers assign homework to help students review, apply, and integrate what has been learned in class ...
posed to practice rote skills. Similarly, parents and educators may want to promote student autonomy and independence when doing homework, and keep in mind other important developmental tasks such as playtime, reading for pleasure, family time, and downtime when considering the pros and cons of assignin.
Proponents and opponents make cases to support their views on the necessity and importance of homework in the development of the student and the construction of knowledge. Good and Brophy (2003) indicate that many view homework as, "An important extension of in-school opportunities to learn" (p. 393).
The first is the importance placed in the past few decades on standardized testing, which looms over many public-school classroom decisions and frequently discourages teachers from trying out more ...
Homework teaches students how to take responsibility for their part in the educational process. Homework teaches students that they may have to do things—even if they don't want to. Homework teaches students to work independently. Homework teaches students the importance of planning, staying organized, and taking action.
While few would dispute the importance of family and play time for young children, it may be shortsighted to believe that eliminating homework altogether is the answer. "All children should be doing homework," says Duke University Professor Harris M. Cooper, who has researched and wrote on the topic for over 25 years. While Cooper acknowledges ...
Too much, however, is harmful. And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary. "Every child should be doing homework, but the ...
Homework has long been a topic of social research, but rela-tively few studies have focused on the teacher's role in the homework process. Most research examines what students do, and whether and ...
Negative Effects of Homework for Students. While some amount of homework may help students connect to their learning and enhance their in-class performance, too much homework can have damaging effects. Students with too much homework have elevated stress levels. Students regularly report that homework is their primary source of stress.
Homework is an opportunity to learn and retain information in an environment where they feel most comfortable, which can help accelerate their development. 5. Using Learning Materials. Throughout a child's education, understanding how to use resources such as libraries and the internet is important. Homework teaches children to actively ...
Parents who help their children with homework will lead to higher academic performance, better social skills and behaviour, and greater self-confidence in their children. Con 3: Homework Is Not Always Effective. Numerous researchers have attempted to evaluate the importance of homework and how it enhances academic performance.
Homework teaches students responsibility. Homework gives students an opportunity to practice and refine their skills. We give homework because our parents demand it. Our community equates homework with rigor. Homework is a rite of passage. But ask them what research says about homework, and you'll get less definitive answers.
positive attitudes towards your children and their education. As children grow older, homework and the amount of time engaged in homework, increases in importance. For teachers and administrators, homework is a cost effective way to provide additional instruction in practice. Lets examine the six constructive purposes for homework in the ...
The Overall Importance of Homework. Homework encourages self-development and self-discipline. Students who complete regular homework don't just perform better at school and during exams, they learn broader life skills and associate hard work with long term rewards. Homework has also been found to improve parental relationships.
Boosts Memory Retention. Homework provides practice time to recall concepts discussed in class, thereby enabling students to memorize facts and figures taught at school. One of the advantages of homework is that it sharpens memory power and concentration. 6. Enables Parents to Track a Student's Performance.
The role of homework is hardly mentioned in the majority of general ELT texts or training courses, suggesting that there is little question as to its value even if the resulting workload is time-consuming. However, there is clearly room for discussion of homework policies and practices particularly now that technology has made so many more resources available to learners outside the classroom.
This is where both teach-. ers and parents are an important part of the process of learning, as mentioned earlier elementary. school teachers are assigning homework that better prepare and train ...
Why is this important? Too many of our high school and middle school students are not meeting grade level proficiency in math. Two-thirds of Black and Latino students are not performing at grade level in math, and students in temporary housing and other students who have formal gaps in their education can fall behind when moving to a new school ...
Benefit of homeschooling #9 - Limited homework Since all work is homework in homeschooling, there's no use in leaving some assignments out as homework. By eliminating things like commuting to school and packing lunch, you'll have more time for actual learning. Not to mention, it reduces stress from having to study all day long.
The Importance of Nursing Homework Nursing homework is designed to reinforce the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that students learn in their courses. It includes a variety of nursing homework help assignments such as case studies, research papers, care plans, and clinical reflections. These tasks help students apply their learning ...
America's Boating Club, United States Power Squadrons is dedicated to promoting safe and fun recreational boating through education, skills training, and civic service, while offering valuable social opportunities and benefits for its members. With July 4th just around the corner, the importance of safe boating has never been greater.
Key Takeaways from the 2024-25 Rankings. 1. The number of universities considered rose by more than 10%. This year, 2,250 universities across over 100 countries were considered—up more than ...
Two Important Notices About Continuing Education Credits June 28, 2024. Proof of CECs Earned: Effective October 1, 2024 Effective October 1, 2024, credential holders will now be required to show proof of all CECs earned by uploading supporting documentation - certificate of attendance demonstrating credits earned - into the recertification portal.
June 25, 2024 Important amendments to the Competition Act became law on June 20, 2024, following Royal Assent of Bill C- 59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023. The Government of Canada has made these changes as a part of its modernization of Canada's competition regime. This guide provides an overview of the most important changes.